Devotion
He Is Always There
Chipo Biti
There were many times were God was hurt by the actions of His people. The Old Testament is filled with instances where the Israelites turned away from God and tried to do their own thing. They gave in to idols, worshipping other gods and turning their backs on God, who saved them from slavery, peril and death. They spoke against God. They lost faith in Him.
I want you to try and imagine how you would feel if your child turned his or her back on you and chose to follow someone else. After everything you've done for them, they chose to ignore all of that, speak against you, and wander away. You would be heartbroken. This was how God felt. People often emphasize on His anger and make Him sound as if He were a ruthless God. God was so far away from rage and ruthlessness. It pained Him to watch His people turn their backs on Him.
God is not a forceful God. He will always let you make your choices - even if they are contrary to His will. He is not in the business of trying to force you into following His will. He has never been like that and He never will be.
Despite the great amount of pain the children of Israel caused Him, God did not waver in His love for them. Whenever the Israelites found themselves in troubling situations, they would turn to God for help and cry out to Him. God would never throw their mistakes in their faces. He wouldn't lord His authority over them. He never shamed them.
God had every reason to turn on the children of Israel but He never did. His love for them remained, no matter what they did to Him. When the Israelites would cry out for help, God was swift to help them. He delivered the Israelites from many troubles they landed themselves in. God knew that they would turn their back on Him over and over again but not once did He cease to love them.
Prayer
It is the same for us. Regardless of the number of times we mess up, God's love for us will always remain. He will be there to guide us. He will be there to cheer us on when we are doing well. He will be there to lift us out of the messes we create.
God promised to never leave us or forsake us and He has every intention to keep that promise.
Devotion
Pray for Leaders
Frances Taylor
How often do you or I pray for government leaders? Paul doesn't say to pray just for the leaders we like, either. If we do want a tranquil and quiet life, we need all leaders to turn to God and work for justice for all their citizens. It's probably even more important to pray and intercede for those leaders who work against justice, than for those who are already doing the right thing. For those who are already on God's side, we should give thanks to God that they stay in leadership and continue to do God's will. The same goes for city, state, and even church leaders as well as our national and international leaders. Good leaders should be supported and others need to be held to account for their behavior. Obviously different countries have different forms of leadership, but that shouldn't stop us from praying for them. God does listen even if the answer doesn't come as quickly as we might like. In the case of democracies, we sometimes need a bad ...
Morning Prayer
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Inspiration
We cannot allow ourselves envy, for it corrodes not only our relationships with others but also the things we already have. The end result is that we neglect to value and appreciate things already in our possession, and thus in turn, being ungrateful to the Lord himself for what he has provided. Rather, our energy would be better placed to focus on giving thanks to the Lord and his gifts, here and now.
Prayer
To my Lord above, my Creator and Heavenly Father, by your grace do I come to thank you for all I have. Teach me not to covet others and their lot, but grant me instead the ability to Love and see the blessings you have already bestowed upon me. In return for your grace, I thus offer up to you my humblest of gifts, my Lord -my heart in obedience, is yours. Amen.
